By: Naseebullah Khan
Zahir Shah, the last Monarch of Afghanistan, who ruled the country for four decades; was a symbol of unity in Afghanistan. At a time when Afghanistan was in a state of internal instability and under huge pressure from the Britishers, it was King Zahir Shah who stabilized and put the country on track. After he was overthrown by a coup d etat by Sardar Dawood Khan in 1973, what we have seen till now is bloodshed, insecurity, foreign proxies, chaos, anarchy, economic frail, and mostly the disunity among the Afghans.
After the rule of King Amanullah Khan, the bookish King Zahir Shah was the second reformer who run Afghanistan with modernity. He founded the first modern University in Afghanistan and laid a network of schools and colleges. He was a stunt supporter of women’s rights and safeguarded their right to education, right to vote, and right to a job. During the last decade of his reign, 50 percent of government officials and teachers were women. He also lifted the ban on Veil.
During Kinship, King Zahir shah brought foreign expertise to the country for economic development. In1937, with the help of Germany, he surveyed the mines and minerals of the country. It was during his rule when the first 5-year economic plan (1957 to 1962) was implemented in the country. His era witnessed irrigation projects, paved roads, construction of hydroelectric dams, establishing of the banking system, growth of Import-export stock companies, increase in the numbers of woolen and sugar factories along with fruit processing, and immense cultivation of cotton and sugar beets. Apart from this, the Textile sector of the country was developed. He opines that “The only thing I did in Afghanistan was farming. I didn’t do anything else in the country.”
Although he has been criticized for not implementing political parties and municipal corporation acts, but his huge contribution was the promulgation of the constitution of 1964 which was considered a step towards the democratization of Afghanistan. Though he declared himself the king of Afghanistan, unanswerable to anyone, on the other end, it was he who banned his relative from taking part in politics. The constitution provided a parliamentary form of government that could be elected through universal suffrage. Whereas Prime Minister was the head of the government. This decade of 1963 to 1973 is considered the decade of democracy in Afghanistan.
There are no two opinions that the period of Zahir Shah marked stability, peace, tourism, foreign expertise, economic growth, Unity among the nations, growth in agricultural and industrial sectors, rise in universities, colleges, and Schools. Reuters tributes him in such words, “The former king’s reign is remembered as one of the most tranquil periods of Afghanistan’s turbulent history.”
There is no denying the fact that as his kinship was toppled by his cousin and brother-in-law Sardar Dawood Khan in 1973, there has been no single day of peaceful living in the country. It has been 48 years since he was overthrown, the country is in the clinches of Chaos, grief, bloodshed, intolerance, extremism, terrorism, economic dwindling, political instability, disunity, proxies, foreign invasions, unemployment, poverty, and social unrest.
One may differ with king Zahir Shah but we must give the devil its due that it was Zahir Shah who had impacted the nation. It was his success that he was a unanimous monumental figure for all segments and tribes in Afghanistan. What we see in the collapse of Afghanistan is the outcome of the nonsense takeover of Dawood Khan when he dethroned the King for his interests and the satisfaction of his lust for power.
The writer is a Freelance Columnist. He tweets at @Naseebk95976870
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the ‘The Dayspring’